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ARCHIVE: Public consultation on the Review of Schedule 9 to the Act 1981 and the Ban on Sale of Certain Non-native Species

Government Response

In the Government Response to the public consultation on the Review of Schedule 9 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Defra lists an additional 24 animals and 38 plants which are being added to the Schedule, making it illegal to plant them in, or release them into, the wild. 7 animals are being removed from the Schedule. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (Variation of Schedule 9) (England and Wales) Order came into force on 6 April 2010.

You can access a list of species currently on Schedule 9 below:

For more information please see the Government response to the consultation on amendments to Schedule 9 and Annex B: Final impact assessment which is part of the Government response.

The Consultation

Defra and the Welsh Assembly sought comments on proposals to review Schedule 9 to the Act 1981, and to ban the sale of certain non-native species, in England in Wales.  The Scottish Executive carried out a separate consultation exercise for Scotland between November 2006 and February 2007.

The consultation contained proposals for updating the list of non-native animals and plants under Schedule 9 of the Act 1981. Most of these species are already established in the wild, but further releases are allowed only under licence. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) recommended species for addition to or removal from Schedule 9, which were consulted on. This consultation closed on 31 January 2008.

The consultation also looked at banning the sale of certain invasive non-native species under section 14ZA of the Act. These species are considered to be strongly invasive and there is a real risk of escape and spread into the wild as a result of their presence and availability through trade. Natural England and the Countryside Council for Wales recommended species for inclusion in a ban on sale Order. Key stakeholders were pre-consulted on this list.

There is a provision in the Act 1981 to licence exceptions to the prohibited acts, subject to any conditions the licensing authority may consider appropriate. Such licenses may be general or specific and may be granted to persons of a class or to a particular person. The licensing authorities are Natural England and the Welsh Assembly Government.

You can access the consultation document and impact assessments below:

You can also visit the following link for further information;

wildlife and pets: non-native species pages

Page last modified: 21 May 2009
Page published: 23 October 2008

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